Dennis Bowman, Presenter: Speaker, Medical Technology Management Institute Speaker, Digital Radiography Solutions

1) Understand that hand images taken with both CR and DR equipment from 50-100 kV are all passable. 2) Describe the differences between film/screen and digital radiography. 3) Demonstrate understanding of the Exposure Index (EI) numbers and ranges of these numbers. 4) Identify what factors are needed to ;corrupt; an Exposure Index (EI) number. 5) Describe 3 different ways to critique a digital image. 6) Understand how Automatic Rescaling allows up to 100 times too much mAs to be used. 7) Explain the legal implications of changing algorithms and post processing collimation. 8) Recognize how much radiation dose can be saved using higher kV and lower mAs. 9) Analyze the new CR and DR Universal Technique Charts.

      One of the main focuses of this talk will be to prove without a doubt that the Dose Index (DI) numbers that come up with both CR and DR are extremely reliable almost all the time. In fact they can barely be corrupted more than 75% regardless of the centering and collimation. I will also cover the new high kV/low mAs techniques that should be used with all digital equipment. This means doing a minimum of the 15% Rule over what was used with f/s systems. Since dropping the radiation dose is one of the major topics, I will prove by increasing kV and dropping the mAs you can always decrease the radiation dose. We will also discuss my Universal Digital Technique Charts for both CR and DR systems as well as finding out if your facility is using the proper DI ranges according to your radiologists. Additionally, there will be a section on the three ways to properly critique a digital image. Following that I will show how different brands of CR and DR react when too much mAs is used in an exposure. Also discussed will be the legal issues that concern radiographers, including reprocessing images with different algorithms and shuttering (post process collimation). My goal is for you to be able to take this information back to your facility and immediately make changes in the way you expose and critique your images.  

<a href="http://media.rsna.org/media/abstract/2013/13010904/MSRT52 BowmanSECURED.pdf" target="_blank">http://media.rsna.org/media/abstract/2013/13010904/MSRT52 BowmanSECURED.pdf</a>

Bowman, D, ASRT@RSNA 2013: Mastering Digital Radiography: CR and DR Exposures, Techniques and Doses .  Radiological Society of North America 2013 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1 - December 6, 2013 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2013/13010904.html